Dear Maintenance Men:

By Jerry L'Ecuyer & Frank Alvarez

www.JLE1.com

 Dear Maintenance Men:

Our apartment building contains all two-bedroom two-bath units.  One of our residents is complaining that the hot water in the shower turns cold after 5 or so minutes while the other shower will give hot water for as long as needed.  What’s the problem?

Steve

Dear Steve:
Sounds like you have an anti-scald valve malfunctioning.  An anti-scald valve prevents the user from getting burned or scalded by hot water when there is a drop in cold-water pressure, such as when a toilet is flushed.  Some valves are built into the mixing valve, others are separate.  Determine the valve brand and model and take that information to your local plumbing supplier.  The supplier should be able to sell you any replacement parts necessary.

Dear Maintenance Men:

I’m just starting to build my repair toolbox. What tools would you suggest at minimum?

Have wrench will travel

Dear Will:

Having the right tool for the job will help you complete your work faster, more professionally and with much less frustration.  Below is partial list of must have tools. Remember: you can never have too much:  Money, Power or TOOLS!

Ø      Claw hammer

Ø      Large flat screw driver

Ø      Good quality Philips/flat screwdriver with replaceable tips.

Ø      Chisel

Ø      Utility knife

Ø      Channel lock pliers

Ø      Pipe wrench

Ø      Seat wrench (faucet seat remover)

Ø      Adjustable wrench

Ø      Needle nose & adjustable pliers

Ø      Torpedo level with magnetic strip

Ø      25 foot tape measure with 1”tape width.

Ø      12” locking forceps (for getting things out of garbage disposals etc.) 

Ø      Hack saw

Ø      Powerful cordless drill. (With extra batteries)

Ø      Circular Saw 

Ø      Free standing flashlight or headlamp.

Ø      Goggles.

Ø      Pencil.

Ø      Leather gloves.

Ø      Propane or Map Gas torch

Ø      Electrical tester

Ø      Duct tape (will fix everything)

Ø      Plumbing parts box (seats, faucet valves, washers, toilet flappers, etc)

Ø      First Aid kit

Ø      Pick-up truck

The pick-up-truck is not a necessity, but it sure makes a nice place to put your toolbox.

Dear Maintenance Men:

I’m getting ready to purchase an apartment building that has individual 30 gal water heaters in each unit.  Some of the heaters look new, but most are old looking. How long do most heaters last and what are some signs of imminent failure? 

Bill

Dear Bill:

The chances of a number of heaters failing all at once are very slim. The cost of replacement can be spread a over period of time.  The average life span of a typical 30 or 40-gallon water-heater is about 10 to 12 years, some may last much longer depending on use.   A sign the end may be near is: banging noises coming from the heater, short hot water supply and long heater cycle times producing lukewarm water. If you find water pooling at the base of the heater … replace it immediately, it has FAILED!!  

Dear Maintenance Men:

The weather is getting warmer and I have just finished rehabbing my building’s landscaping.  When is it the best time to have my automatically sprinklers scheduled to turn-on? 

David

Dear David:

According to landscape experts, the best time turn on the sprinklers is between 5:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. This allows the water time to soak in and then allows the sun to dry out the landscape to avoid rot & disease.  That being said … we personally like our sprinklers to activate between 2:30 & 5:00 AM.   This time period is after the bars close and before the early birds leave for work.  Avoiding resident interaction with working sprinklers lessens the chance of sprinkler heads being kicked or damaged.  Also most of the kids are still asleep and we all know how they love to run through your sprinklers, flower, plants etc.  Also, adjust your sprinklers to not spray across sidewalks or onto parked cars.  It is also a good idea to install your timer in a locked location or very high on an exterior wall.

Trivia:  It is estimated that 1.8 billion light bulbs are manufactured each year in the United States.

Bio:

Jerry L'Ecuyer is the owner of JLE Property Management & Buffalo Maintenance and is a licensed contractor & real estate broker.  He is currently on the Board of Directors and Chairman of the Education Committee for the Apartment Association of Orange County.  Jerry has been involved with apartments as a professional since 1988 and can be reached at (714) 778-0480. Frank Alvarez is the Operations Director for Buffalo Maintenance. He has been involved with apartment maintenance for over 14 years. Frank can be reached at (714) 956-8371 or visit the office at, 202 E. Broadway in Anaheim, CA 92805. Please visit our web site at: WWW.JLE1.COM